The average waiting time for a green card for Indians is now 25-30 years.

An Indian-origin student recently asked Vice President JD Vance at an event at Turning Point USA what the Trump administration is doing to ease the long waiting list for Indians to get green cards in the US. The 20-year-old woman introduced herself as the daughter of immigrant parents who came from India on an H-1B visa, and who were still waiting for permanent residency in the US. The conversation went viral as JD Vance praised his Indian in-laws and explained how immigrant groups should think about America First, not the country they are originally from. An interesting part of the conversation was when the woman said that under the Biden administration it will take about 150 years for Indians to get green cards. The Donald Trump administration is known for its anti-immigration stance, and here’s how long it takes for Indians to get a green card in the US.eb2 (Common for those with a master’s degree or higher): The final action date is around July 15, 2014, which means if your priority date is before then, you are now eligible. So if someone applies for a green card in this quota, the waiting time for a visa number to be available will be 11 to 12 years, plus additional processing time. eb3 (Graduate + Skilled Work): Last action date is around 15 November 2013. The waiting time for new applicants will be approximately 12 to 15 years. These are both the most commonly used routes by H-1B Indians to get a green card and due to the huge demand, there is a massive backlog. The current waiting time in both these categories is on average 25-30 years.

‘150 years’ wait for green card!

The ‘150-year wait time’ stems from an analysis by the Cato Institute, which said in a 2023 report that 400,000 Indian workers hoping for employment-based green cards in the US face a wait of 134 years. The US has an annual cap of 140,000 employment-based visas and a 7% quota for each country. The study said that 18 lakh cases are pending and of these, 11 lakh are from India. “New applicants from India will have to wait a lifetime and more than 400,000 will die before they can get a green card,” the report said.Wait times vary depending on various factors. Many applicants upgrade from EB-3 or EB-2 to EB-1, which is a faster route, freeing up some slots. Some people choose the EB-5 category which is for investors in the US. Some eventually leave the queue and settle in other countries.